This is the time of year when people can’t wait to shed their heavy winter coats and head outside to look for the many signs of spring.

What we want to see is green. After so many months of cold and dreary weather, green grass and blossoming trees are proof positive that the tide is turning and that our yards and gardens are (finally) coming back to life.

Spring also brightens up menus with tender, seasonal veggies and fresh flavors.

For pasta

1 pound spaghetti, or other pasta of choice

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Extra Parmesan, shaved or shredded, to serve

Baby spinach, to serve

Toasted pine nuts, to serve

For pesto

4 tightly packed cups baby spinach leaves

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 tightly packed cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon lemon zest

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Make pesto: Place all ingredients except oil into a food processor. Jam that spinach in, there’s a LOT of it! Blitz until spinach is chopped into pesto-sized bits. Scrape the sides down as needed. With the motor running on low, pour oil in a thin stream. Set aside while you prepare pasta.

Cook spaghetti in boiling water with salt per the package directions. Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of pasta cooking water. Drain spaghetti, then return to the empty pot.

Add a couple generous scoops of pesto to the pot with 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Toss well, using the extra water as needed to loosen. Add more pesto, if desired. Serve immediately while hot, or let it cool and serve at room temperature like you would a pasta salad. Either way, garnish with Parmesan, baby spinach, and pine nuts.

Serves 4.

— “RecipeTin Eats Dinner: 150 Recipes for Fast Everyday Meals” by Nagi Maehashi (Countryman Press, March 2023, $35)

2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 tablespoon low-fat plain Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon sliced fresh chives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

2 slices hearty wheat bread, such as Mediterra’s Mt. Anthos fire bread

1/3 cup thinly sliced English cucumber

Stir cream cheese, yogurt, chives, dill and pepper together in a small bowl until well blended.
Spread the mixture evenly on one side of each bread slice. Top 1 slice with cucumber slices, then top with the other bread slice, cream cheese-side down. If you like, cut off crusts before cutting the sandwich in half diagonally, or leave intact for more heft.

Makes 1 sandwich.

— Adapted from eatingwell.com

For crust

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

3 tablespoons ice water

For filling

1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed

1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter

2 small shallots, finely minced

Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Zest from 1 lemon, preferably organic

2 large eggs

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup sour cream

1/4 cup minced mixed fresh herbs

2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, optional

Olive oil, for brushing

Prepare crust: In bowl of food processor, pulse flour and salt until combined, then add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. In separate bowl, whisk together egg and yolk with ice water. Add to flour mixture and pulse until moist crumbs start to form (no longer). Form dough into a disk (or 2 disks if making 2 quiches in pie plates), cover in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.

After resting, let dough sit at room temperature until pliable, then roll out on a lightly floured surface to a 14-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, folding and pressing sides to an even thickness. (Or roll out 2 disks to 11-inch rounds and fit into 8- or 9-inch pie plates.)

Trim edge of dough flush with top of tart pan. (If using pie plates, fold edges of dough under and crimp as desired.) Wrap in plastic; freeze at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line crust with parchment, then fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake 20 minutes with a baking sheet on rack below; remove paper and beans. Let cool.

Reduce oven to 375 degrees.

Bring large skillet of salted water to a boil. Drop in asparagus and blanch for 3 minutes — or 90 seconds if you’ve got pencil asparagus (it shouldn’t be completely cooked). Drain in a colander, run under cold water and pat dry.

Cut off asparagus tips to make them about 3 inches long. If your asparagus is thick, slice lengthwise in half. Cut remaining stalks on the bias into slices about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide. Wipe out the skillet.

Put skillet over medium heat and add butter. When it’s melted, toss in shallots and cook, stirring, just until softened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and scrape into the crust, spreading them evenly. Add lemon zest and sliced asparagus stalks.

Whisk eggs, cream, sour cream and herbs together in a bowl just until blended. Season with salt (about 1/4 teaspoon) and pepper, then pour into prepared crust. Arrange asparagus tips (cut side down if you’ve halved them) in any way you like on top of the filling.

Bake quiche for 25-30 minutes, sprinkling on Parmesan cheese, if using, after quiche has been in the oven for 20 minutes. The quiche is done when the custard is set — a tester will come out clean — and puffed. Transfer to a rack and, if you like, brush olive oil over the top, using only enough to give it a gloss.

Serve quiche when it’s just warm or has come to room temperature. Makes 1 quiche.

— Adapted from Doriegreenspan.com

Tribune News Service